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Rural Boulder County homeowners speak against road repaving taxing district

By John FryarLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
08/14/2013 08:37:18 PM MDT

Updated:
08/15/2013 02:37:13 PM MDT

Scott Keasling speaks in opposition to a proposal during a Boulder County commissioners public hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the old Boulder County Courthouse on Pearl Street in Boulder. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

BOULDER -- Many of the more than 30 people speaking at a Wednesday night public hearing agreed with the Boulder County's staff's warnings that unincorporated subdivisions' paved county roads have been deteriorating badly and will continue to crumble if something isn't done soon.

Most of those speakers, however, disagreed with a Boulder County policy that suggests that subdivision property owners -- rather than the county -- should pay the bulk of the costs of rehabilitating, reconstructing and repaving those roads.

Seward argued that, notwithstanding the county staff's contentions to the contrary, "there's plenty of money" in Boulder County roads and bridges budget to pay for rehabilitating subdivisions' streets.

"Use it," Seward demanded. "Fix our roads."

At issue was Boulder County's proposal to ask subdivision residents and property owners to authorize, in November's election, the establishment of a subdivision paving pubic improvement district that would levy a tax on those subdivision properties to pay the costs of rehabilitating their roads.

County Commissioners have said that if eligible subdivision voters reject that ballot proposal, the Board of County Commissioners will go ahead and establish a local improvement district and charge fees -- typically higher than the taxes property owners would have to pay for a public improvement district -- to fund a 15-year road rehabilitation program.

Ron Laughery, who lives at 9132 Thunderhead Drive, said the choice being presented to subdivision homeowners -- an ongoing tax-supported public improvement district or a more expensive local improvement district -- amounted to "voter intimidation."

Hygiene-area resident Ray Harrison, of 7239 Rozena Drive, said "there are other choices out there" besides a public improvement district or a local improvement district.

Several speakers said the conditions of county roads, wherever they're located, should be the responsibility of all county taxpayers, similar to taxpayers' shared contributions to other county services, programs and projects that might not directly benefit the individual getting the tax bill.

Disagreeing with that position, though, was Elizabeth Marr of 3939 Pebble Beach Drive, in the Lake Valley subdivision, who said she supports the public-improvement district proposal and doesn't expect other county residents to subsidize her choice to live outside of some city's limits.

Marr, one of 15 subdivision residents who served on a subdivision paving working group that advised county officials, also said Boulder County's property tax levels are low in comparison to some other parts of the country.

Seward, however, said he's on a fixed income and hasn't budgeted for additional property taxes.

Some speakers accused the county of having shifted or diverted money -- funds they said should have been spent on subdivision road rehabilitation -- to other transportation or county budget purposes.

But John Sullivan of 1040 Stearne Ave. in the Lakeshore Estates subdivision, another member of the subdivision residents' working group, said he didn't believe that allegation.

Sullivan expressed his support for the public-improvement-district proposal and said that when it comes to getting their roads fixed, Boulder County residents should not "elevate anti-government passion above pragmatism."

Most of the more than 30 people who spoke at the hearing were clearly opposed to the idea of putting a subdivision paving public improvement district on November's ballot, and many said they would vote against it.

County commissioners had already announced prior to the hearing that they wouldn't be casting a final vote Wednesday night whether to advance the public improvement district to the Nov. 5 ballot. That decision is now scheduled for a Sept. 3 commissioners' meeting.

Only about 15 percent of Boulder County's unincorporated subdivisions' roads were classified as being in "good condition" last year, county officials have reported. The other 85 percent were adjudged to be in "fair to poor" condition.

Peter Dente of 539 Bari Court presented commissioners with the results of an online petition he said had been signed by more than 359 people, calling on the commissioners "to fulfill their moral, ethical and perhaps legal obligations to meet their guaranteed commitments when they accepted ownership of the county subdivision roads."

That, Dente's petition stated, should be done using funds from within the county's "existing ongoing budget -- without implementation (of) any additional fees, assessments or taxes of any kind."

Meanwhile, the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's Office has verified the signatures of at least 346 subdivision residents who are registered voters on a petition calling for the commissioners "to take all steps necessary or convenience in accordance with law to organize the proposed district."

County officials said 200 are signatures needed to meet one of the state legal requirements for advancing the proposed PID to November's ballot.

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